Manitoba and Saskatchewan may not be as well-known as their surrounding provinces, but there’s plenty of charm to be found in the Canadian prairies.

The region’s major cities – Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg – are home to some of the best creative communities in the country, with annual folk and jazz festivals that bring in top talent from all over the world. And for the sports-mad, the Winnipeg Jets play their NHL home games at Bell MTS Place in Downtown Winnipeg. Outside the cities, the rural areas will satiate your craving for the outdoors. Swim or fish in one of the thousands of lakes and hike trails in one of the many stunning national or provincial parks during any season. Or head north to find world-class adventures in Churchill, Manitoba, one of the few human settlements where you can see polar bears in the wild.

Because the prairie area was (and remains) a draw for new immigrants to Canada, multiculturalism is a pillar of the region. The influence from hundreds of different ethnicities comes to life in everything from food to festivals, with dozens of annual events celebrating diversity peppering the calendar each year, including Winnipeg’s Folklorama and Saskatoon’s Folkfest.